Uyghur Ganfan

Rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear. In a pot, bring 750 ml water with 0.5 tsp salt to a boil, add the rice, cover with a lid and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and leave covered for another 10 minutes.

Cut the beef into thin strips across the grain. Cut the daikon, carrot and bell pepper into thin matchsticks, the onion into half-rings, the tomatoes into cubes, the cabbage into thin strips, the green onion into 2–3 cm pieces, and mince the garlic finely.

Heat the vegetable oil well in a wide wok or large skillet. Sear the beef over high heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring often, until browned.

Add the daikon, onion, carrot, bell pepper, tomatoes, cabbage, green onion and garlic. Cook over high heat for 5–7 minutes so the vegetables lightly brown but don't turn mushy.

Pour in the remaining 250 ml water, season with 1 tsp salt, black pepper and ground red pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20–25 minutes, until the meat and vegetables are tender and the liquid has turned into a thick, moist gravy.

Gently fluff the rice with a fork, being careful not to turn it into mush. Taste the gravy and add salt or black pepper as needed.

Serve the hot rice in portions, topped with the meat-and-vegetable gravy. Do not mix the rice and gravy together during cooking.